Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday likened the style of functioning of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to that of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, a day after Union Minister Giriraj Singh took a similar jibe at Vijayan.
When Chennithala's attention was drawn to reported remarks by CPI leader Rajaji Mathew Thomas, comparing Vijayan with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the treatment meted out to media, he said, "You missed another name... Kim Jong-un."
Vijayan had recently lavished praise on North Korea's leader for putting up a 'tough' resistance against 'imperialist' America, better than Communist-ruled China.
Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh had on Tuesday likened Vijayan to Kim Jong-un, saying they 'looked, acted and behaved' similarly.
"He (Vijayan) convenes press conferences to say whatever he wants to say... He would never entertain questions... He is challenging the people's rights to know things happening in his administration... Such actions cannot be accepted in a democratic country like ours," Chennithala told reporters in Kochi.
He alleged that the chief minister and members in his Cabinet were ignoring their office work and only paying attention to party conferences in the state.
"There is no government in Kerala. The chief minister is misguided by his advisers. Ministers are not there in the secretariat. The chief minister is in the role of party secretary now. No file movements. Kerala administration is in a complete standstill," the senior Congress leader charged.
He condemned the violent protest against Congress MLA V.T. Balram in Palakkad district on Wednesday reportedly by activists of the DYFI over his remarks against communist icon A.K. Gopalan.
"This is a fascist act... The Congress has disowned the comments made by Balram against the Communist leader. At the same time, we will not agree with the CPI(M)'s move to prevent the MLA's freedom of expression and freedom for movement," the leader of opposition in the Assembly said.
Balram, representing Tritala constituency in the state Assembly, had commented on the love affair and subsequent marriage of Gopalan with Susheela, who was years younger to him, on Facebook last week.
